"Why didn't you say something sooner!?"
Felicity scowled, her eyes narrowing as she shot a glare at Welt, then turned away, focusing her energy on urging the Branch of Abundance to take root within the Doomsday Beast's body.
"My apologies. That was my mistake."
Welt didn't argue but instead offered a sincere apology. He had assumed the girl, possibly the Emanator of the Path of Abundance, was aware of the situation and would find another way to handle it. So, he'd focused all his attention on her.
It wasn't until just now that he noticed something odd with the flow of internal energy, and that's when he realized the Doomsday Beast wasn't dead yet.
Thankfully, Felicity had reacted quickly, and the Branch of Abundance had taken root once again, further weakening the Doomsday Beast's strength.
"Hiss—Roar—!!!"
The Doomsday Beast went berserk, charging forward recklessly, seemingly disregarding both Felicity and Welt. It bellowed, heading toward a distant corner of the station, as though searching for something.
"Is that... the space station's platform?"
Felicity's brow furrowed in confusion.
The platform was in the support module, and all the staff should have been in the main control module by now. If it were about to attack, surely it wouldn't be going there, right?
With a slight shift of her perception, Felicity quickly noticed four figures standing on the platform.
It was the Astral Express crew.
Just as Felicity prepared to finish off the Doomsday Beast, Welt's cane stopped her.
"Let the kids gain some experience."
"?"
"The threat from the Void Soldiers is over, and the space station is safe. You've already planted a branch on the Beast. With you and me watching over it, there shouldn't be any problems."
Welt adjusted his glasses and explained calmly,
"Every child needs a chance to grow."
"...You're quite suited to be a teacher."
"Perhaps."
Welt replied, though his tone was more a sigh than an answer.
His gaze drifted to the gray-haired girl, Stelle, who was shielded by the others on the platform.
In truth, he had his own motives.
Welt could sense something unusual within Stelle's body — it was likely the Stellaron once contained in the Herta Space Station.
Stellarons were incredibly dangerous, capable of stirring violent storms across the universe. Left unchecked, their effects were uncontrollable, spreading wildly and impossible to suppress. That's why the Interastral Peace Corporation called them the "Cancer of All Worlds."
Even Herta from the Genius Society had to construct an entire space station to contain the unactivated Stellaron and prevent disaster.
And yet, here was Stelle, a girl who seemed perfectly ordinary, carrying one of these volatile bombs inside her.
No matter how you looked at it, Stelle had become a ticking time bomb. If it detonated, it could send shockwaves across the entire galaxy.
Welt knew he needed to confirm Stelle's condition. If she truly was a danger, he would have to take the necessary precautions.
While they spoke, the Doomsday Beast clashed with the crew on the platform.
The creature, clearly intent on reaching the star, appeared drawn to the core within. It roared, swinging its massive arms. Even a single swipe could cause catastrophic damage.
But its body and core had been pierced—while the dark matter-driven engine could keep going for a while, it wouldn't last much longer. Plus, Felicity's black branches had already taken root inside it.
The Astral Express crew, despite their youth, were formidable. In mere moments, they had the Doomsday Beast on the verge of collapse, and its core, already fragile, was nearly shattered.
Felicity let out a breath of relief—at least she hadn't caused any more trouble for Asta.
But just as she was about to drift toward Asta, ready to offer some playful relief, disaster struck again.
The Doomsday Beast, seemingly defeated, suddenly went into a frenzy, gathering all the remaining energy in its body, dimming even the Antimatter Engine.
The hot rays shot out, hurtling toward March 7th.
The attack was nearly instantaneous, leaving no time for the battle-weary crew to react. March 7th didn't even have a chance to dodge. Her mind went blank.
"What!?"
The sudden turn of events startled both Welt and Felicity. Welt quickly raised his cane, and a nascent black hole materialized before the Doomsday Beast.
But it was too late. The black hole had been created too slowly, and the laser shot out before it could be blocked.
Welt instinctively glanced to his side, hoping that Felicity, with her power over the Doomsday Beast, might find a way to deal with the threat.
Instead, he saw a flash of movement, and in an instant, Felicity appeared before the others, arms spread wide, shielding them like a mother hen protecting her chicks.
"This laser's powerful! It might actually kill me!"
Felicity's face held a mischievous grin as she spoke. She deliberately withdrew almost all of her Abundant power, leaving just enough to guard March 7th behind her, ready to intercept the full force of the laser with her own body.
This was a self-destructive attack far worse than anything Felicity had faced before.
Even as an Emanator, she knew she'd have to dodge such an attack if she could.
March 7th, still confused, stared at the scene. She didn't understand why Felicity, a person she barely knew, would put herself in harm's way to protect her. But as she looked at the girl's not-so-powerful back, an unexpected sense of reassurance washed over her.
But just as quickly, the smile on Felicity's face faltered.
Another figure darted forward, and before anyone could react, Stelle, of all people, appeared. She, too, spread her arms wide, attempting to block the laser as Felicity had.
Stelle didn't fully grasp what was happening, only that March 7th had been kind to her and Felicity had protected her from an arrow before. She couldn't bear to see either of them hurt, so she acted.
The result was a devastating blow: the laser struck her directly, and the searing pain sent her into unconsciousness almost immediately.
Then, from her chest, a brilliant golden light erupted, followed by an overwhelming surge of energy that continued to build in intensity.
What was happening?
Stelle's consciousness began to fade.